First Ishiuchi Ski Area Closed

First Ishiuchi was a ski area in the Ishiuchi district of Minamiuonuma, Niigata, close to Route 17 and Ishiuchi Station. It opened in 1964 as Ishiuchi TBS Ski Area, became Odakyu Ishiuchi after a change of ownership in the 1970s, and was renovated and renamed First Ishiuchi in 1991. Six runs dropped from about 570 m to 265 m, served at its height by six lifts including a triple chair, and night skiing was lit with coloured floodlights. It last operated in the 2004-05 season. Most lifts and buildings have since been removed, and the Kan-etsu Expressway tunnels pass beneath the lower slope.